


Of train rides and MP3s

by rromanovas



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-15
Updated: 2015-02-15
Packaged: 2018-03-13 02:10:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,534
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3363866
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rromanovas/pseuds/rromanovas
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A few days ago, I saw a post on tumblr with a lot of au ideas and I really liked this one: “we’re strangers but i absolutely hate your music taste and i feel the need to tell you this on a crowded train au”, so I decided to write a fic. Enjoy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Of train rides and MP3s

Felicity Smoak was no longer a college student. She had graduated in June and went to live with her friend, Cathy, in Central City, where they both started applying to jobs. One day, when Cathy was out with her boyfriend, Felicity decided to go visit Starling City to apply for a job at Queen Consolidated.

Felicity got in the train and noticed there was only one seat available, next to a handsome man.

“Today must be my lucky day.” She thought to herself. She was about to spend an hour on a train next to a greek god. She smiled lightly as she sat down. The man was tall and blonde and had eyes that were the most beautiful shade of blue. He nodded to Felicity and took his mp3 out of his pocket, turning the device on.

“It’s always good to have some music when you’re on a train ride, huh?” He said, and Felicity was pretty sure that his was the most beautiful voice in the entire planet.

“Um…” She was in awe and didn’t quite know how to answer, she was always afraid her answers would turn into monologues. “Yeah, it sure is. Pity I forgot mine at home.” She hoped she didn’t sound dumb.

“Pity indeed.” The man said, as he put on his earphones and looked away. Apparently the conversation was over. Felicity shrugged as she grabbed her book. She always loved reading on trains.

She opened the book on Chapter four and removed the bookmark, she was about to start the first sentence when she heard it. Oh! That awful sound! Electronic was a genre Felicity couldn’t stand. And it was coming from no other place than Mr. Handsome’s mp3. The dream of the perfect man was shattered. How could he listen to that kind of noise?

Felicity lowered the book and took a deep breath. She could do it. She could spend an hour listening to that thing; she was a patient person, after all. She was not going to say anything to him… Ahhh, fuck it.

“Excuse me?” She gently poked his arm to get his attention. He took one earphone off and looked at her. “Sorry” She continued. “But I just have to say to you that your music sucks.”

"I'm sorry?" He looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that, and I say this respectfully, you have awful taste in music." She answered, nervously. She didn't mean to say what she said, but her mouth got the better of her. "I'm sorry, I know that I'm way out of line and I shouldn't have said that, but sometimes I can't help myself."

"Well, you could have just said that my music was too loud and bothering you..." He had a playful smile on the corner of his mouth. She didn't notice it.

"Yeah, but that was all kinds of wrong. Even though I'm right, your music does suck, but that was such an impolite thing to say, I apologize." She was nervous now, and she knew she had started to babble, but Felicity could do nothing about it. "I swear I'm not like that. I don't go around insulting people's tastes on the train, but..."

"Hey." He interrupted her. The smile hadn't left his mouth. "It's okay, really. I'm not insulted, I'm just... Intrigued. Is my music taste that bad that you felt the need to say it to me?"

"Ummm... Yes, I'm sorry, but your music taste is the worst." She realized that Mr. Handsome was finding that conversation quite amusing, so she relaxed a little. "I mean, it is electronica and I'm usually all for technology and computer stuff, but just not like that."

"Why not, though? I think it's really cool and I love dancing to it."

"Yeah, sure, it might be nice to dance to them, but those songs are really shitty." At this point they had turned to each other and were now face to face. "Sure, they have all that tech, but the lack soul."

"Soul? I didn't know music had soul."

"Yeah, soul. The artists don't put themselves in the music like they do in rock, pop, indie, country, etc."

"But there are some really awful pop songs, come on, you have to admit it."

"Yeah, sure there are! But not all of them are bad."

"Now I’m sad you didn't bring your mp3. I really wanted to listen to those 'songs with soul'." He made quotation marks on the air.

"Oh, but you don't need my mp3 for that. Just look for all the classics: The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Queen, The Who... I'm also very fond of a band called Panic! At the Disco."

"Isn't that a little bit emo?" He looked at her up and down. She was wearing a tight pink dress and had her now blonde hair in a ponytail, she definitely didn't seem the type that listened to Panic! At the Disco.

"People say that, but I don't think it's the case. Their songs are awesome and yes, they have a lot of soul."

"Let's just agree to disagree... Um, sorry, I didn't get your name."

"Oh! It's Felicity." She gave him her hand.

"Oliver." He shook it. "So, Felicity, what brings you to Starling City?" The way he said her name made it a thousand times prettier.

"Oh, I graduated college this fall and moved to Central City, so I thought I'd visit Starling. Also, I kinda have a job interview so... Yay."

"Oh, college! I never bothered to finish it. In what did you graduate?"

"Computer Science at MIT."

"MIT? So, you're not just a girl who insults people's music taste on the train, you're a genius who insults people's music taste on the train." His smile was even wider now.

"Oh, I said I was sorry." She blushed. She didn't know if he was flirting with her or not. She never could realize when people flirted with her, and, according to Cathy, that happened a lot.

"So, where's that job interview of yours?" Was he actually interested in her? Felicity was liking Mr. Handsome... Oliver, more and more.

"Oh, it's at Queen Consolidated. I heard the owners are billionaires and have this reckless son, but I - hopefully - am not going to deal with him. I'm applying to the IT sector.

"Oh." The smile faded for a second. Was that disappointment she saw on his face?

"Well, I'm sure you'll get the job." And just as soon as the smile was gone, it came back.

"Thank you!" She said. "So, what are you going to do in Starling?"

"Oh, I actually live there. I was visiting a friend in Central City, but I'm now headed back home."

“I hope you enjoyed your stay there, then.” Felicity had to admit, she was upset they didn’t live in the same city, it sure would be great to run into him sometime.

“I did, yes. It was great.” He answered. The conversation had worn out, and none of them had anything more to say, even though they both still wanted to talk.

“I’m going to let you with your awful song, then. I promise you I won’t interrupt you again.” She told him, and then completed with a joke. “Just keep the volume low.” He laughed and she was positive she would swoon.

“Okay, I’ll try. I’ll leave you with your book, Felicity.” She would never tire to hear him say her name, that’s for sure.

They both resumed into doing whatever else they were doing before starting the conversation and eventually the train came to a stop in Starling City. Felicity and Oliver exited the vehicle together.

“Bye.” He said, as he turned to the other side of the station. “Good luck with your interview.”

“Oh, Thank you. Goodbye.” She answered, but he was already gone.

Felicity’s interview was in an hour. She got into a cab and went to Queen Consolidated. Two hours later, she exited the building with a feeling that everything went very well. She should be expecting a call in a week or so and she was confident she got the job.

On the train ride back to Central City, she was reading a newspaper. One of the articles was about the new DUI that Oliver Queen had gotten, she looked for a picture of the playboy, but there was no photo to be seen.

“He must be a prick.” She thought to herself. “And he is the son of my – hopefully – future bosses. How great.”

One month later, Felicity had just moved in to Starling City after getting the job at Queen Consolidated and was headed to the company for her first day of work. She settled in the IT department after a brief tour from her supervisor and started going through the files he asked her to look at and grabbed the first pen she saw. After a while, she heard someone call her name.

“Felicity Smoak?” She looked at the door and there he was. Tall, blonde and handsome. She couldn’t believe in what she saw. Her jaw almost dropped and that’s when she realized she was chewing on a pen. It was red.


End file.
